Access to beneficial ownership details filed with the Luxembourg register of beneficial owners

The Luxembourg Business Registers (LBR) is responsible for the management of the Luxembourg register of beneficial owners (Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs or RBE), an official companies register subject to the authority of the Luxembourg Minister of Justice.

Since 1 September 2019, the general public and national authorities tasked with combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism are able to access the RBE database online, free of charge, through the RBE portal.

Extracts from the RBE can be ordered from the manager of the register and all data held in the RBE database can be consulted, with the exception of personal data (addresses and personal identification numbers) and data covered by an access restriction order.

Under Luxembourg law, companies and beneficial owners can file a request to restrict public access to beneficial ownership details. Such restrictions must be time-limited and justified by appropriate circumstances, such as:

• a disproportionate risk of fraud, kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, harassment, violence or intimidation
• if the beneficial owner is a minor or legally incapacitated

If the request to restrict access to beneficial ownership details is approved by the manager of the register, beneficial ownership details will only be accessible to national authorities, lending institutions, financial institutions, bailiffs and notaries.

The manager of the RBE register’s decisions concerning requests to restrict access to beneficial ownership details are also published on the RBE website.

Relevant legislation and circulars can be found here.